136Xe enrichment through cryogenic distillation

The next generation of (136)Xe neutrinoless double beta decay experiments will require on the order of 5 tons of enriched (136)Xe. By estimating the relative volatilities of the xenon isotopes and using standard chemical engineering techniques we explore the feasibility of using cryogenic distillation to produce 5 tons of 80% enriched (136)Xe in 5–6 years. With current state-of-the-art distillation column packing materials we can estimate the total height of a traditional cryogenic distillation column. We also report on how Micro Channel Distillation may reduce the overall size of a distillation system for (136)Xe production.